One of the Premier League's best players joined Manchester United but regretted the move and wanted to quit Old Trafford after just one training session
George Smith and Neil Docking
13:17, 22 Dec 2025
Alexis Sanchez had a nightmare spell at Manchester United
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Alexis Sanchez had a nightmare spell at Manchester United(Image: Getty Images)
One of the Premier League's best players sparked controversy when he joined Manchester United in a mega money deal - only to want to leave immediately.
Alexis Sanchez had joined Arsenal from Barcelona in 2014, netting a staggering 60 goals in 122 league appearances for the North London club. However, he became part of a swap arrangement with United that saw struggling midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan move in the opposite direction in January 2018. Given that United had secured a player who had been regularly finding the net and producing brilliant performances for three and a half years, it appeared they had gained the advantage in the transaction.
The Chilean forward didn't have a transfer fee, but he received an enormous contract, reportedly more than £350,000 per week, plus an extra £100,000 for image rights. With bonuses he is said to have earned up to £560,000 weekly over the course of a four-and-a-half-year deal, making him the highest-paid player in the country.
Alexis Sanchez was a goal machine at Arsenal
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Alexis Sanchez was a goal machine at Arsenal(Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
But Sanchez, who turned 37 on Friday, December 19, soon saw a dream move turn sour. "I am thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world," Sanchez declared on United's official website following his move to Old Trafford. "I have spent three-and-a-half wonderful years at Arsenal and I bring with me very positive memories of that great club and its fans.
"The chance to play in this historic stadium and to work with Jose Mourinho was something I could not turn down. I am very proud to be the first Chilean player ever to play for United and I hope I can show our fans all around the world why the club wanted to bring me here."
However, after merely two and a half years, one season on loan and a pathetic five goals in 45 appearances, Sanchez's stint at United reached a disappointing conclusion, when he was permitted to join Inter Milan on a free transfer in August 2020.
Alexis Sanchez didn't know where the goal was at Manchester United
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Alexis Sanchez didn't know where the goal was at Manchester United(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
With agent fees taken into consideration, by the time he left United, some estimates suggest he had cost the club more than £60m. His period at Old Trafford proved catastrophic, with his most memorable contribution being the equaliser he netted in the 2018 FA Cup semi-final triumph against Tottenham.
In total, he managed to find the net just five times for the club, with three of those strikes coming before his first and only complete season in United's colours. He featured in merely 27 matches during that campaign (2018/19) and battled to cement a regular starting berth under both Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Before his switch to United, Sanchez had been pursued by Manchester City, but they pulled out of negotiations due to his salary expectations. This opened the door for United to secure his signature.
Nevertheless, despite his initial excitement about joining United, it appears Sanchez wasn't particularly delighted with the transfer. Indeed, he wanted to depart after his very first training session at Carrington.
Jose Mourinho, then manager of Manchester United looks on at megaflop Alexis Sanchez
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Jose Mourinho, then manager of Manchester United looks on at megaflop Alexis Sanchez
The Chilean disclosed a month after departing the Reds that he had pleaded with his agent to orchestrate a return to Arsenal for him.
The then Inter Milan star admitted: "I accepted the opportunity to go to United, it felt tempting and it was something good for me, I liked this club a lot when I was a kid. Eventually I signed but I didn't ask for information on what was happening inside the club."
Speaking back in September 2020, he revealed: "Sometimes there are things that you don't realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things. After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent, 'Can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal?'"
Alexis Sanchez is one of the worst signings in Manchester United's history
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Alexis Sanchez is one of the worst signings in Manchester United's history(Image: Getty Images)
"They laughed, I told them there's something that doesn't sit right, it doesn't seem good. But I already signed, I was already there. After the first few months I carried on having the same feeling, we weren't united as a team in that moment."
When Sanchez arrived at Old Trafford, the Red Devils were on a roll with four consecutive victories and hadn't suffered defeat in seven outings, suggesting he should have entered a confident and upbeat environment. Yet his remarks indicate he stepped into a fractured and troubled dressing room lacking cohesion.
Following his mid-season arrival during the 2017/18 campaign, Sanchez featured in 18 fixtures as United clinched second spot in the Premier League and progressed to the FA Cup final. Nevertheless, they succumbed to Chelsea at Wembley, losing to an Eden Hazard spot-kick in the opening period.
Jose Mourinho points out instructions to Alexis Sanchez while the latter drinks from a bottle at the edge of the Old Trafford pitch.
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Jose Mourinho failed to get the best out of Alexis Sanchez at Old Trafford(Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.)
Just over a month into the 2018/19 campaign, Alexis Sanchez received a devastating blow when Mourinho axed him from United's squad for their encounter with West Ham. The manager's choice caused ripples throughout Old Trafford and left Sanchez reeling.
"In a game with West Ham I wasn't picked," he revealed. "That had never happened to me as a player. It bothered me and I said it couldn't be possible.
"To go from being one of the best in the Premier League to not playing in five months. I came to my house and I was very sad. The next day I trained in a double shift because I love what I do."
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Sanchez's blockbuster switch from Arsenal to United proved to be an absolute disaster, becoming one of the most disastrous transfers in Premier League history. Arsenal, meanwhile, managed to extract slightly more value with nine goals and 13 assists from Mkhitaryan, giving them the edge in the exchange deal.
Now playing at Sevilla, Sanchez left United supporters with nothing but painful reminders of what might have been.